Falcons ranked No. 3 most talented team in the NFL

Falcons ranked No. 3 most talented team in the NFL

Getting over a Super Bowl loss is a brutal process for any team. (Look no further than the fallout with Richard Sherman and the Seahawks from their catastrophe at the one-yard line.) There’s no sugar-coating it. Losing the way they did in Houston is likely to haunt the Atlanta Falcons, at least for a while.

The good news is that their window is still open.

Atlanta has one of the most talented rosters in the entire league, according to Gil Brandt at NFL.com. In his recent ranking of the top 10 around the NFL, he put the Falcons at No. 3, trailing only the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.

Here’s what Brandt had to say about this 2017 Atlanta team:

The Falcons’ roster is loaded with players who are the best in the NFL — or close to it — at their respective positions. Julio Jones is about as good as it gets at receiver. Matt Ryan has been playing as well at quarterback as anyone. . . Alex Mack is one of the best centers. And on defense, Vic Beasley — who really took a step forward in Year 2, racking up 15.5 sacks — is a top-five pass rusher. . . Veteran signee Dontari Poe will make the defensive line a lot better, while first-round pick Takkarist McKinley was one of the very best pass rushers in the draft. Atlanta has a good plan and the players to match it.

Interestingly, Brandt doesn’t think the Falcons’ main competitors in the NFC are the Seahawks or Packers. The Dallas Cowboys (No. 5) and New York Giants (No. 6) are both ranked higher.